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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29088702">Snippets of Time and Space</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/poetikat/pseuds/poetikat'>poetikat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Glowing Portals and Mirrored Eluvians [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Humor, Innuendo, Missing Scene, Other Additional Tags to Be Added</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:21:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,201</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29088702</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/poetikat/pseuds/poetikat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Here's where you'll find missing scenes, snippets, and cut content that never made it into the main story, Herald of Time and Space. </p><p>The rating will go up with future chapters!</p><p>Scene one: At the Winter Palace in Halamshiral, Olgierd is introduced to an excitable young woman who can't wait to tell him all about himself. He doesn't know where she got half her ideas, but her imagination is certainly something.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Josephine Montilyet &amp; Yvette Montilyet, Olgierd von Everec/Josephine Montilyet, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Glowing Portals and Mirrored Eluvians [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134197</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Snippets of Time and Space</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>beta-read by brightspot149. Thank you!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Olgierd left the ballroom floor with Josephine, feeling no small measure of relief. That had gone far better than it had any right to, though he misliked the way all three members of the royal family looked at Ciri. Something was afoot here.</p><p>Josephine turned to look at him from the top step, her face mirroring his feelings. She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow as he joined her by the railing, and he smiled down at her, hoping to drive the cloud of worry from the tense corners of her mouth.</p><p>“You,” he told her quietly, “are a vision.”</p><p>The crimson silk with its gold embroidery thread gave her complexion a beautiful glow, and the full charcoal skirt flared out around her ankles in a way that he itched to see flying on the dance floor. Her full lips held a kiss of color tonight, just a hint of red. Soft tendrils of hair framed her lovely face, the curls already beginning their inevitable escape from her braided bun.</p><p>She smiled back up at him, her eyes brightening. “You are too kind, dear one. ‘Who is that dashing stranger to Orlais’ court?’ That’s what they’re thinking. All eyes are on you and Ciri tonight.”</p><p>“Not mine.”</p><p>Her arm pressed against his, and she chided him lightly. “Do keep at least one eye on her.”</p><p>“We’ll not leave her back bare tonight,” he agreed. “And she knows to come for me if she needs anything.”</p><p>
  <em> “Josephine! Oh, Josephine!” </em>
</p><p>Josephine looked up sharply and groaned under her breath at the sight of a masked woman waving enthusiastically halfway down the hall.</p><p>“I hope you’re ready to meet my sister,” she murmured.</p><p>“Yvette?” he asked. He bit back a smile. “The, ah, ‘foolish younger sister’ who would have mooned over my brother had they ever crossed paths?”</p><p>“The very same one,” Josephine said grimly. “‘Meet’ is perhaps the wrong word. Yvette is someone you can only experience.”</p><p>He lost the battle against his smile. “I’ll consider myself sufficiently warned.”</p><p>“You are not,” she said, still with that same grim tone. “But some things can’t be avoided.”</p><p>She led him past a dozen masked courtiers, all doing their best to stare without staring, and stopped before the energetically waving young woman. Olgierd spotted the resemblance at once, even with the mask. What little he could see of Yvette’s nose looked strikingly similar to Josephine's, and the shape of their mouths was the same as well, though Yvette was much more heavily freckled than her sister.</p><p>“Oh, <em>Josephine</em>,” Yvette gushed. “The introductions were so grand! Didn’t everyone look <em>beautiful</em>? And—Oh! Who is this?”</p><p>“Yvette,” Josephine said, her hold on Olgierd’s arm tightening, “please allow me to present—”</p><p>Yvette gave a loud, excited gasp. “Messere Olgierd von Everec! I have heard <em>all</em> the rumors! Is it true that your family was driven from Nevarra and lost their title because your father consorted with demons to kill off his rivals?”</p><p>“Yvette!” Josephine snapped. “What nonsense!”</p><p>“Then—then were you <em>really</em> an infamous bard?” she asked. “And did you <em>really</em> try to assassinate a marquis? And you had to face an army of mercenaries who injured you horribly, forcing you into retirement forever?”</p><p>Josephine rubbed her temple with her free hand. “Yvette, for the love of the Maker—”</p><p> Yvette’s lower lip stuck out in a small pout for just a brief moment, then firmed up. “You must be a long-lost Trevelyan, then, called home from a secret war in the north to aid your cousins when they went to the Conclave!”</p><p>Olgierd’s chest hurt from holding in laughter. At his side, Josephine nearly vibrated with exasperation.</p><p>“Yvette, <em>honestly</em>!”</p><p>“So you mean—” Her eyes widened with excitement behind her mask. “—you swore an oath of eternal service to Lady Cirilla? You bound yourself and your sword to her, kneeling at her feet as a true knight pledges to a lady?” She sighed and fanned herself. “That is…<em>so</em> romantic.”</p><p>His laugh finally escaped, inappropriately loud and hearty for the staid ballroom, and he felt eyes turn toward them from all corners.</p><p>“Oh, you are a treasure,” he told her when he wrested his humor back under control. “Nay, nothing of the sort. I pledged my sword to Ciri for as long as she wishes it, but I owed her father my life at first. And while Ciri is a true friend, she doesn’t hold my affections.”</p><p>Yvette looked between him and Josephine as if finally noticing where Josephine's hand rested, and her mouth fell into a pout again. "You mean everything you wrote was <em>true</em>, Josephine? Ugh, how dull!”</p><p>“Oh, you are infuriating,” Josephine muttered.</p><p>“Well,” Yvette said with forced cheer, looking Olgierd up and down. “At least…hm. He does have very broad shoulders, doesn’t he? And you know what they say about men with broad shoulders!”</p><p>Josephine flushed. “<em>Yvette</em>!”</p><p>“Means I’m liable to strain my seams,” Olgierd said dryly.</p><p>Yvette giggled.</p><p>“Please stop encouraging her,” Josephine said under breath. Louder, to Yvette, she added, “Tell me how Mother and Father are doing. It has been some time since I’ve heard from them.”</p><p>“Papa is still hosting his own salons,” Yvette said. She rolled her eyes. “Mother is the same as always.”</p><p>“Meaning she’s after you to help with the estate more,” Josephine translated. “Would it kill you to lend a hand?”</p><p>“But I am to become an artist, Josie!” Yvette protested. She turned to Olgierd with a beaming smile. “I’ve been studying painting under Antiva’s royal tutors. I’m going to be exhibiting my work next season in the city’s biggest salon.”</p><p>Josephine sighed. “Have you ever actually finished a painting yet?”</p><p>“I must wait for my inspiration!” Yvette said defensively.</p><p>“And I must wait for your tutors’ bills,” Josephine shot back.</p><p>Yvette’s lower lip crept back out again, and Olgierd brought his free hand up to hide an ill-timed smile. Their squabble reminded him of arguments with Vlod in better days, when he’d occasionally had to rein in his headstrong younger brother. Truth be told, though Josephine thought Yvette would moon over Vlodimir, he could easily imagine his brother being just as charmed by Josephine’s flighty sister.</p><p>Down on the dance floor music began to play, and he pulled away from Josephine’s hold on his arm to bow over her hand.</p><p>“Would you care to dance, Lady Josephine?”</p><p>She swept her full skirt out to the side and curtseyed gracefully. “It would be my pleasure, Messere Olgierd.”</p><p>“Please excuse us, Lady Yvette,” Olgierd said as he tucked Josephine’s hand into the crook of his arm again. “We’ll return soon.”</p><p>Yvette pressed a gloved hand to her heart and waved them off, no doubt already embellishing the moment in her mind for retelling later. “Oh, it’s so… Go on, Josephine! Enjoy your dance!”</p><p>Josephine’s cheeks had long since lost their embarrassed flush by the time they made it to the dance floor, but as they got into position, her gaze dropped to his shoulders and red filled them again.</p><p>Once again, he bit back a smile. “Something on your mind, dove?”</p><p>Her eyes flicked up to meet his, sparkling with rueful amusement. “Strained seams.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A little canon dialogue used here. If you recognize it, it's not mine.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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